Project Id: 2010CA264B
Title: An Advisory Service for Optimum Irrigation Scheduling in California
Project Type: Research
Start Date: 3/01/2010
End Date: 2/28/2011
Congressional District: 44
Focus Categories: Irrigation
Keywords: irrigation
Principal Investigator: Fulton, Allan
Federal Funds: $ 26,500
Non-Federal Matching Funds: $ 14,045
Abstract: The project will establish an irrigation advisory service to assist individual farms with improving water use efficiency and maximizing net economic returns to water. A web-based advisory service designed for that purpose has been developed and tested under NRCS auspices in Oregon. This proposed project will initiate use of that advisory service in California. Two new algorithms will be added to the original program to make the advisory service more effective for California Agriculture: (i) an algorithm for analyzing leaching requirements and potential yield reduction under saline conditions, (ii) an algorithm for reconciling differences in estimated crop water use based on three different estimators; soil moisture measurements, cumulative ET estimates, and for some crops, crop stress indicators (midday stem water potential). The project will be implemented as a pilot program in targeted regions of the state.